Days 5-7, Breckenridge to Buena Vista

When I left off, Russ, Dru, and I had arrived in Breckenridge after four days of riding the Colorado Trail. The first four days were a mixed bag, with some group conflict that was resolved. We got caught in a thunderstorm (my fault) and Dru’s shock exploded on the approach to Breckenridge. On night four, we settled at the Bivvy Hostel and ate too much food.

Day five dawned and it was cold and pouring rain. Poor Dru had to bike an hour down the highway at 7 a.m. to get his shock serviced. Meanwhile, Russ and I enjoyed a leisurely start, including a buffet breakfast at the hostel. We took our time getting going and eventually hit the bike path to Frisco. The rain had stopped by now and we could see the snowline not far above us. This appeared to the last storm for a while—the forecast showed no precip for at least the next week. Selfishly, Dru’s misfortune was a positive, because it meant a bit of a sleep-in and avoiding some pretty miserable weather.

We left Breckenridge as the town was setting up for Oktoberfest. I wasn’t sad to be missing it. On the way to Frisco, Russ unexpectedly broke a spoke. Luckily, we found a bike shop that was able to fix it, and enjoyed a coffee and pastry while we waited. We weren’t entirely sure where Dru was, but we made plans to meet at Walmart. It took a while to get to the gang together and ready to go, but eventually, we were on the path to Copper Mountain.

From Breckenridge to Copper, the Colorado Trail goes over 10 Mile Range. It’s a notoriously challenging section, with over 1,000m of climbing, making it the first major crux of the trail. With our delays that morning, combined with the fact the alpine was covered in snow, we decided to forego this section and take the paved bike path around the range to Copper. There, we stopped to use the bathrooms, right as a wedding was getting going. There’s something to be said about being a dirt bag amongst a bunch of fancy-dressed people.

We picked up the trail at the bottom of the resort and followed it to Guller Creek, where we began the 750 m climb towards Searle Pass. We entered a narrow valley and followed the creek until we found a suitable place to camp. It was a short day and we only made it about 40 km.

Day six dawned and we resumed the push to Searle Pass. It was mostly rideable and we ascended quickly to the highpoint. Dru stopped for some trailside bike maintenance, so Russ and I went ahead and traded photos.

Cresting the pass was breathtaking. Ahead, the Tenmile Range was painted with snow. The mountains were various shades of red, green, yellow, and brown, and the sky was a crisp blue. It was the first instance of pure awe along the trail, one of those moments of joy that truly makes you appreciate where life has brought you. We stopped and soaked it in, then made our way through the alpine to Kokomo Pass. From there, it was a rollicking descent ending at Camp Hale, where the legendary 10th Mountain Division trained during World War 2.

We continued onwards to Leadville, which sits in a broad valley between the Mosquito Range and the 14ers of the Sawatch Range. We stopped for Mexican food, then made our way onwards into San Isabel National Forest where we camped just off the road.

Day 7. We were camped on the road to Mount Elbert, Colorado’s highest mountain, and it was a beautiful, sunny Sunday, so the road was quite busy. We regained the CT at the start of Segment 11. For the next few segments, the trail follows the edge of the Sawatch Range, alternating between the mixed aspen/pine forest and the sage brush just to the east. I don’t have strong memories of this section other than going for a cold dip in Twin Lake, and then taking a short cut after missing a turnoff to the trail on the way to Buena Vista. Russ and Dru went back up hill, but I kept going and followed a scenic dirt road into town, forgoing about 3.5 km of trail in the process.

I think my years of dirt road touring has made me much more forgiving of gravel grinding, rather than feeling forced to milk every inch of singletrack. Singletrack is definitely more fun, but it forces me to focus my attention on the trail rather than enjoy the view. On a quiet dirt road, I can zone out and get lost in my surroundings. I followed CR371 along the Colorado River, through fantastic rock formations and even a few tunnels before cruising into Buena Vista. I enjoyed wonderful views across sage-filled fields to the snow-capped peaks of the University Range to the west.

Buena Vista is a classic old west American town, with an attractive, historic centre and drab surroundings. I ordered myself some Chinese food and waited for Russ and Dru to show up. Having enjoyed a casual day so far, I was keen to hit the road quickly and find a campsite, but Russ and Dru wanted to check out the town. While I wasn’t too thrilled with the decision, I realized we had 14 days, so we could afford an easy day. There was a cool bike shop that was holding a closing out sale, so we poked around there for a while, then checked out the outdoor store nearby. Then we sat down for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. By the time we were done, we were faced with a decision—either head out of town and ride in the dark to find a campsite, or get a hotel. We also had to get groceries, and we had made a decision to not ride at night after our incident on night two. There were no official campsites up ahead, so a hotel seemed like best option.

Unfortunately, Buena Vista doesn’t have much in the way of accommodation. Our only choice was the Super 8; when we got there, we just missed the last budget room. Instead, we got the luxury suite. On the plus side, we each got a king bed. On the downside, the bathroom was shockingly small. And it cost almost $400 CAD. At least there was a hot tub and buffet breakfast.